Canary rockfish • Sebastes pinniger • Heiltsuk/Haíɫzaqv - λák̓álá
{Sebastes = magnificent or venerable; pinna = fin, gero = to bear}
Photos by Josh Silberg (top right), Katie Davidson (bottom right - a canary rockfish is at the top left, alongside a quillback rockfish, black rockfish, and lingcod), Wiebe Nijland (bottom left, juvenile with dark dorsal fin spot), and Tristan Blaine (top left adult, middle left young of year with dark dorsal fin spot).
Identification
The canary rockfish is a beautiful bright orange fish with a white to grey stripe along its side (along the lateral line). Its head is lighter and marked with three bright orange stripes. Its anal and pelvic fins are very pointed. Its maximum recorded size is 76 cm long and 4.5 kg. The less recognizable juveniles have a large dark spot at the back of the dorsal fin; this spot fades with age.
Habitat & Range
The canary rockfish forms loose schools in rocky habitats from the intertidal to a depth of 838 m. Its range extends from southern Alaska to central California. Juveniles are found in shallower waters than adults.
Human Uses
The canary rockfish, one of the top three most commonly fished rockfish, is caught in both commercial and sport fisheries, Deep-water individuals are not targeted for sport because the expansion of their swim bladders renders them inactive as they are brought to the surface, so recreational fishermen tend to focus on shallower canary rockfish. This species is considered overfished by offshore trawlers. While the canary rockfish is listed as a "Good Alternative" by the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, it is listed among other rockfish as "not recommended" as a sustainable seafood choice by Ocean Wise. It has also been designated as threatened by COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) due to over-exploitation of stocks, but is not yet protected under Canada's Species at Risk Act. Read more in the COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report. Rockfish are often mislabeled as red snapper, Pacific snapper, and rock cod in both markets and restaurants.
Concerns about rockfish population levels have led to the creation of Rockfish Conservation Areas (RCAs) in inshore locations along the BC coast. See the Living Oceans Society map of RCAs and Fisheries and Oceans Canada for more information on these areas.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/64465-Sebastes-pinniger
The canary rockfish is a beautiful bright orange fish with a white to grey stripe along its side (along the lateral line). Its head is lighter and marked with three bright orange stripes. Its anal and pelvic fins are very pointed. Its maximum recorded size is 76 cm long and 4.5 kg. The less recognizable juveniles have a large dark spot at the back of the dorsal fin; this spot fades with age.
Habitat & Range
The canary rockfish forms loose schools in rocky habitats from the intertidal to a depth of 838 m. Its range extends from southern Alaska to central California. Juveniles are found in shallower waters than adults.
Human Uses
The canary rockfish, one of the top three most commonly fished rockfish, is caught in both commercial and sport fisheries, Deep-water individuals are not targeted for sport because the expansion of their swim bladders renders them inactive as they are brought to the surface, so recreational fishermen tend to focus on shallower canary rockfish. This species is considered overfished by offshore trawlers. While the canary rockfish is listed as a "Good Alternative" by the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, it is listed among other rockfish as "not recommended" as a sustainable seafood choice by Ocean Wise. It has also been designated as threatened by COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) due to over-exploitation of stocks, but is not yet protected under Canada's Species at Risk Act. Read more in the COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report. Rockfish are often mislabeled as red snapper, Pacific snapper, and rock cod in both markets and restaurants.
Concerns about rockfish population levels have led to the creation of Rockfish Conservation Areas (RCAs) in inshore locations along the BC coast. See the Living Oceans Society map of RCAs and Fisheries and Oceans Canada for more information on these areas.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/64465-Sebastes-pinniger
References
Froese, R. and Luna, S. M. Sebastes pinniger (Gill, 1864) Canary rockfish. FishBase. Accessed 02/03/2015.
Harbo, R. M. (2011). Whelks to whales: Coastal marine life of the Pacific Northwest [revised]. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. P. 218.
Lamb, A. and Edgell, P. Coastal Fishes of the Pacific Northwest. Revised. (2010). Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. Pp. 170-171.
Lamb, A., and Hanby, B. (2005). Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest [electronic version]. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2015).
Froese, R. and Luna, S. M. Sebastes pinniger (Gill, 1864) Canary rockfish. FishBase. Accessed 02/03/2015.
Harbo, R. M. (2011). Whelks to whales: Coastal marine life of the Pacific Northwest [revised]. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. P. 218.
Lamb, A. and Edgell, P. Coastal Fishes of the Pacific Northwest. Revised. (2010). Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. Pp. 170-171.
Lamb, A., and Hanby, B. (2005). Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest [electronic version]. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2015).